I'm back-tracking here a bit on this blog, because I must admit I've never really done much blogging and find it difficult to send my personal (if academic) thoughts into the void of the internet. Nonetheless, here we are!
Thinking back to that second week of this course, I couldn't have anticipated that I'd actually end up reading the entire Reiser and Dempsey Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology book (which is fabulously well-written and I highly recommend it). Their first chapter, "What field did you say you were in?" is, as I could not have anticipated just a few short months ago, especially apt.
The field of IST, even when entire books and articles attempting to define it, like some organic, growing creature that's a mix of idealistic striving and data-driven research. It seems to embody a group of people who, no matter their background or expertise, are united under the passionate advocacy for improving learning. This encompasses every type of learning, in fact, which is part of the difficulty in clearly defining the field. Corporate training, academic learning, informal learning, online learning: all fall under the IST umbrella. All are scrutinized using various models and processes, and all problem-solving that results from this scrutiny is applied contextually, individually. It's no wonder even IST professionals sometimes have difficulty articulating what it is they do.
The corporate trainer who evaluates human performance technology will focus on and entirely different subset of models and practices than the online instructor teaching an asynchronous course in a MOOC (massive open online course). When they're together in a room, however, which Reiser and Dempsey heartily approve of in the form of professional associations, it becomes clear there's that common thread again. What draws me to IST resonates with this diverse association of individuals, and despite the fact that I still have not once professionally referred to myself as an instructional designer, I know I'm in the right place.
Hi Susannah,
Now after we have learned about the different theories, I can see that you are reflecting on what this field is to you on a new level, compared to what you might think at the beginning of the semester. So this is interesting to read about! I am glad that you felt things started to come together for you. And I am sure how this field means to you (or how you define it) is going to keep changing, especially after you form a stronger professional identity in your career.
-Renee